Archive for October, 2009

We may have accused the HTC Eris - aka the Verizon DROID Eris by HTC - as having underwhelming specs this week (what can we say, we want some Snapdragon!) but according to the latest batch of leaks Verizon will at least be pricing it right. gdgt's Peter Rojas has heard from "a very trustworthy source" that the Android smartphone will be priced at $99 with a new two-year agreement, just half the price of the Verizon DROID by Motorola.

HTC have confirmed to us that they'll be offering an update to Android 2.0 for the HTC Hero. The update means that HTC will be skipping Android 1.6 - as on the HTC Tattoo, for instance - to concentrate on fettling HTC Sense to play nicely with the newest version of Android. However, the company have not given a definitive timescale for the release, asking only that owners "be patient". Full statement after the cut.

Nintendo have officially announced their latest handheld console, and like the rumors suggested it packs larger displays than the DSi. The Nintendo DSi LL will drop in Japan on November 21st, complete with twin 4.2-inch displays (compared to the DSi's two 3.25-inch displays); as before, the lower panel is a touchscreen.

Update: Nintendo UK have confirmed to Electricpig that the handheld will arrive in the UK come Q1 2010, as the Nintendo DSi XL. We're guessing it'll have the same name and launch schedule in the US, too, though nothing is official as yet. No word on pricing, either.

We've just finished a sit-down session with Verizon, Motorola and Google to discuss the first Android 2.0 smartphone of the year, the Verizon DROID by Motorola, and this is certainly one very impressive smartphone. It's far too early for our full review, but check out some live photos and first impressions after the cut.

Rumors are circulating that Apple has rejected Intel's Moorestown chips as unsuitable for their mobile device range, after Cupertino engineers decided that the Intel CPUs demanded far too much power. According to Fudzilla, Apple have informed Intel that Moorestown needs to have one-tenth the idle power consumption it manages currently before it'll be suitable for any of Apple's devices.

We love a little mystery, especially when that mystery is fuelled by a manufacturer themselves, and Lenovo have done us proud today with a new all-in-one PC. While the company is no stranger to all-in-ones - we reviewed their IdeaCentre C300 back in August - what makes this unnamed model different is that it's the first in the Lenovo ThinkCentre range, an all-in-one targeted at business users.

All eyes are on Verizon, Motorola and Google this morning, with the official launch of the Verizon DROID by Motorola, but as soon as the dust has settled you know people will be asking where the GSM version of the smartphone is. The existence of a GSM DROID is already known; however one of our readers has pointed us in the direction of a Tinhte.com video showing the handset in action.

Confirmation of Olympus' second Micro Four Thirds camera, the Pen E-P2, has been spotted over at the company's Chinese site. While there's no actual product page for the E-P2 - and as such no definitive specifications - it is listed as a new camera under the Pen Digital category.

Sony Ericsson's Aino smartphone arrived in the UK earlier this month, but would-be buyers looking on enviously from the US are now able to sate their touchscreen desires. The 8.1-megapixel handset has gone on sale online and at Sony Style stores in the US today, priced at $599.99 unlocked, offering a 3-inch 432 x 240 touchscreen, WiFi, 3G (UMTS 850/1900/2100) and Bluetooth.

We're not entirely convinced by the idea of naming your autonomous webcam "The Mole"; after all, when it comes to eyesight moles aren't especially known for their 20/20 vision. Still, we'll overlook that since Astak's Mole is pretty nifty: a motion-activated IP webcam, with WiFi and wired ethernet connections, that can automatically upload footage to YouTube together with sending out email and Twitter messages.